Valle d’Itria

A bit about The Valle d’Itria, the area of Puglia that we are in. This valley is the largest olive growing region in Italy. The olive oil is smooth and creamy, the trees can be 600 years old, and they are ubiquitous. Every inch of ground is planted with something. At the gas station, the owner has the perimeter of the station planted with tomatoes, cucumber, herbs, onions, garlic, and zucchini. It reminds me of every Italian immigrant family I grew up with — everyone had a garden, not a yard. There is a reverence for the land, a love of the soil, and a gratefulness of the bounty. The people here care deeply about how the land is tilled and worked. It is almost all organic and there is pride in farming in the old ways. There is a twinkle in their eyes when they tell you to pick and eat because there is no spraying.

It’s not all glory here. As we drive back to Bari to pick up our suitcases (yay! — we picked up because courier could have taken 2 more days), we passed many areas that looked like communist block housing we saw in Romania. The south of Italy is poor, people live simply and their desires are modest by American standards. It’s different – not good, not bad, just different. Italy has a special feel, there is a grace to things, even the poorest areas have a softness to them. There’s a lilting presence in the people — men discussing the day, ladies doing the daily shopping, softly and with charm.

I always feel at home here. A past life, an idolized vision, too many movies, who knows. All I know is that I feel good here, I feel I belong, I feel my best self. It doesn’t hurt that I am surrounded by love either.